Champion Speedway in Owego is preparing to open for its 52nd year this Saturday, May 2, at 7:15 p.m. with The Meggan Hobart Spring Fling!
Speedway Motorcycle Racing was very big up and down the East Coast prior to World War 2, having taken place in large stadiums in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, to name a few, and races were even held inside Yankee Stadium!
The sport shut down completely due to the war and was resurrected by the Robinson brothers in Batavia, N.Y., in the early summer of 1975. Soon after, promoters held the first race at Champion Speedway in July of 1975.
Champion Speedway promoter Jason Bonsignore, one of the longest-serving Speedway promoters in the US, now in his 30th year, has added a Hare Scramble / Old school motorcross track around the property that hosted Winter Scrambles this off-season and will be hosting night-time events under the lights this summer as well.
Champion Speedway in Owego is preparing to open for its 52nd year this Saturday, May 2, at 7:15 p.m. with The Meggan Hobart Spring Fling! Some action photos from the track. (Provided)
The go-kart dirt oval will run Friday nights and will be promoted by Roger Swansbrough of Candor. Swansbrough successfully promoted karts at Champion’s sister track, Action Park East, last season, and is a welcomed addition.
The racing promises to be the best it has been in recent years and the sport looks to be making a strong comeback with a nice Division 1 field already signed up for the Opener.
Among the riders expected to race this season are regulars: the current track champion, Casey Donholt of Port Crane; the former track champion and NYS Champion, Spencer Portararo of Endwell; 5-time track champion, Adam Mittl of Maine; Caleb Stewart of Candor, who was 2nd in points last season; Dave, Jonny, and Dalton Oakden of Rochester; Jerry Harman and Albert Smith of Maine; Alex Heath, an Owego Legend; Levi Harris of Windsor; Mike Cortese Jr. of New Jersey, and more.
Local 15 year old whiz kid Cody Pierce of Candor will make his D-1 debut. Support class characters like Truckstop Hunter Wagner of Lounsberry, Chris Bro Hulbert of Nichols, The Red Rooster, Brian McManamon of Conklin, Anthony Terenzi of Maine, Gage Renfer, also from Maine, Rayzor Ray Schweiger of Candor, Zachary Ostrander of Greene, Kenny Dahlin of Pennsylvania, and Scott Sandbagger Vargo of Towanda, along with female racer Chloe Schnurr of Springwater, have growing fan bases.
Another 15 year old doing well, Joel Farwell, of Apalachin, will likely be the rider to beat in D-2. An awesome turnout of new JR riders, led by locals Grayson Frederici, who won the prestigious Gumball Rall Championship in California in February against the top riders in the country, Kabriel Howard, Jenson Pierce, Dakota Pierce, Jaden Slate, Lilly Cornell, Mikki Card, and more, have been racing the past two seasons, and there seems to be a resurgence going on in the sport.
The ATV program will continue with flat-track races on the ATV/Kart oval out back, but riders and fans are excited for the addition of TT classes with the new course that is being added.
The tracks promotion team will also be operating races at Action Park East, Champion’s sister track, in Greene, New York, with one event monthly for bikes and quads and approximately 17 karting events taking place as well
Action Park East and Champion will play host to the US Open National Championships Labor Day weekend.
Champion Speedway is located at 227 Old Narrows Rd. in Owego, N.Y. Action Park East is located at 119 River Valley Lane in Greene, N.Y.
More information can be found at www.eastcoastspeedway.com or www.speedwaybikes.com.
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